Spotlight: Pouch Packaging Technology

by Dennis Calamusa

Versatile Pouches Allow Ambitious Design Imagination While Offering a Growing Number of Advantages

It has been said that the package is the "silent salesperson." In today's marketplace, a good package design must differentiate from the masses on the retail shelf, stimulate sales volume of flat product categories and leave the consumer with a positive use experience. Positioned next to the competition, it must not only attract the busy consumer's attention, but it must also shout "Buy me!"

To be successful in the market today, you must not only achieve this sort of reaction with your package design, but the package must also function well and provide a positive, memorable experience for the consumer, thus boosting the package's power of repurchase. In addition, your designs must be "achievable" in the reality of the production, distribution, and retailing environment. When all these challenging objectives are met, the package designer has achieved design magic.

The days of following the leader are over. Today's package designers and entrepreneurial marketers are breaking from tradition and designing packaging for a new consumer. The consumer of today lives in a fast-paced world that is dramatically different from the past. We are all "on-the-go," looking toward the future. Products and packages that accommodate us—and our lifestyles—are capturing valuable market share.

Exciting visual and functional features are being integrated in today's exciting pouch packaging designs to add consumer convenience, build brand identity, and address the specific progression of: Product, Package, and Consumer Occasion of Use.

Reclosability

The flexible characteristics of the pouch may be used to squeeze-dispense a product. Freshness of the product may be extended after opening with the addition of a zipper, slider zipper, or spout. The ability to add convenience and functionality to the pouch-style package is having a dramatic impact on flexible packaging design today. These options, among others, add to the multitude of design possibilities.

Spout and closures

Either produced as a premade-filled-and-sealed, or produced on-line as part of the form, fill, and seal process, the addition of spouts provides the designer and marketer the opportunity to custom-create a "solution specific" approach to dispensing a liquid or semi-viscous product from a flexible pouch. We are beginning to see the emergence of beverages, condiments, health and beauty care aids, and a multitude of other products incorporating spouts as part of the design, adding functional elements to their packaging. Spouts are available in many different styles and configurations, along with many closure designs that offer controlled dispensing, tamper evidence, and child resistance.

Shapes

The technology to create shape into a flexible package design through the utilization of die-cutting can now add character, personality, and improved functionality and ergonomics to the package. Die-cutting may be done at converting level through the supply of pre-made pouches or performed online as part of the form, fill, and seal process. Package shape in combination with the use of colorful graphics, custom-designed barrier properties, and myriad sizes all add to the possibilities.

Retort

Many companies are beginning to look to retort pouch technology as a way to re-establish market presence for products that have been traditionally marketed in a metal can or other form of rigid packaging. In the retort process, a pouch is filled, sealed, and then batch- or gang-retorted through a thermal process that "cooks" or sterilizes the product and package. The process results in a pouch and product that are shelf-stable nearly to a point comparable to metal cans or glass containers. Everything from cooked rice, sauces, and prepared meals are showing up on the retail shelf. Driven by convenience, these new product introductions are being focused at the busy consumer or family that just does not have the time to prepare a traditional meal. Pouches can be supplied in either foil or non-foil materials, including some transparent materials. The non-foil varieties are particularly suitable for microwave preparation. Due to the construction of flexible pouches being thinner and a better heat conductor than glass or metal, process time is shorter and processing temperature lower. Both lead to a better-tasting product.

In addition, added laser scores offer safe and easy opening convenience. Hanger holes are punched in the header of the pouch for in-store displays that can create exciting point-of-purchase opportunities for the creative designer or retail merchandiser.

As technology continues to evolve, we are sure to see more innovative pouch applications appear in the market. Today's pouch packaging technology solutions can offer the competitive advantage that you are looking for to create your next value-added product line extension, re-invent a mature product, or add excitement to your brand image.

Dennis Calamusa operates AlliedFlex Technologies Inc. (www.alliedflex.com), a consultancy specializing in flexible packaging solutions for product marketing applications. Contact him at (941) 923-1181 or at dfc@alliedflex.com.